The Legend of Zelda Shadows of Hyrule
by crazy chibi kiki
Summary: Link of the Sheikah is the guardian of Princess Zelda of Hyrule. When Ganondorf initiates war, the Sheikah must decide which side they're on, and Link and the princess must travel through the darkest of lands to find a way to defeat Ganondorf.
1. prologue 1

In the beginning, there was nothing save for an empty void. The goddesses then separated the empty void into the mortal realm from the heavenly realm. Then, Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru, with her expansive knowledge, poured her wisdom onto the earth and blessed the earth with a balance of good and evil. Farore, with her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the balance. The goddesses had created the land of Hyrule out of chaos. Satisfied, the goddesses left the mortal realm and as they left, they created the triforce and placed it in the Sacred Realm.

The Sacred Realm is the link between the mortal realm and the heavenly realm. It is where priests and priestesses go to seek advice from the goddesses; it is where individuals journey to seek enlightenment or power. It is above all, the home of the goddesses' essence, the triforce. The triforce holds a mere fragment of the goddesses' powers. It is a perfect balance of power, wisdom, and courage. Without courage, one cannot fully utilize wisdom. Without wisdom, one cannot hold back power. Without power, courage becomes a feeble force. Whoever possesses it has a part of the goddesses' powers, and will reshape the world as a mirror image of their soul.

When the goddesses placed the triforce in the Sacred Realm, they understood that good and evil are two sides of one coin. If a land prospers, it will eventually turn to chaos. They then created a soul who would bring the land out of chaos whenever evil grazed the land. They created a soul who would bring the chaos, a soul who would bring the land out of chaos, and a soul who would keep the balance. From there, the three goddesses withdrew into the heavenly realm and watched over their creation.

This is the story of the goddesses. This is the story of the triforce. This is the story of Hyrule.


	2. prologue 2

Hey-yo! I updated the prologue so that it fit more of the original prologue. Woo-hoo! Yes, I found my flashdrive and have edited the prologues to fit the original ones more X3 again, here's the edited prologue part 2...

Prologue- part 2: Rensafi of the Sheikah

One hundred years before the Hero of Time was born, Hyrule was on the verge of a civil war. The false hope of peace sat in the stale air of the growing kingdom, and an unwanted tribe of people were hired to protect the royal family.

Rensafi of the Sheikah was one of the finest Sheikah combatants. Swift and agile, Rensafi was considered one of the, if not the most, reliable individual to be a protector of the royal family. At one point, she was even honored with the protection of the Royal Family, specifically, the queen of Hyrule.

The Royal Family held a ball one day to celebrate a new tribe in the Hylian alliance, the Gorons. Megaton, the leader of the Gorons, attended the ball, bringing with him the finest of Goron musicians and tribe's strongest warriors. A prospective ally, the Zora tribe, also attended, however only their prince represented their people, along with his attendants.

Ashlock, a Hylian soldier, and Catrin, another woman of the Sheikah tribe, stood by the King and Princess's side during the festive celebration. Ashlock and Catrin, Rensafi believed, was one of the strangest yet happiest couples throughout the kingdom Hyrule. Their union was frowned upon by both Hylians and Sheikah alike, although the Sheikah were much more accepting of their marriage then the Hylians were. Catrin had given birth to a charming little boy, Link, who usually had to stay at the Sheikah village of Kakariko, since his parents were occupied with attending the royal family. However, Link oftentimes would visit the castle, and during those times, his laughter would echo across the castle walls. He would often follow Rensafi around the vast palace grounds, fondly called Rensafi "Auntie Safi." So much, in fact, to the point that Rensafi and Link's parents would hold a sort of joint custody on the child, depending on which "big person" was least busy at the time, and during the ball, Link stayed at his mother's birth village, since all three adults were on duty.

During the ball, the allies of Hyrule, the Gorons, attended. The big brother of the Gorons, Megaton, attended with his closest friends. He had a large muscular build, even for a Goron. And, although he was very much intimidating, he had a hearty laugh and was possibly the friendliest, most casual individual there. A prospective ally, the Zora, also attended. Prince Resa of the Zora and his attendants were much more formal, and the polite tribesmen were the conversations of many of the Hylians there, especially the ones who had yet to venture outside Castle Town. Even the Composer brothers attended, and their festive music played throughout the night. As the queen stood to give a speech, there was an explosion. A bomb and a collection of Deku nuts, specially cultivated to have higher magnesium and sulfur content than usual, exploded at the queen's feet. Screaming and the sound of anxious voices filled the castle as most of the attendants managed to scatter from the ball room. Ashlock and Catrin were killed in the attack, along with many of the attending guests. Princess Zelda, the king, most of the Gorons, and the Zora prince successfully escaped without any fatal damage, but the queen, who had been giving a speech at the time, was pinned underneath the magnificent chandelier.

She ripped her scarf from her neck and pulled it over the queen's face, filtering the poisonous gas from her. After a long struggle, Rensafi was able to push the chandelier enough to allow the bleeding queen to be dragged out from underneath the intricate glass structure. While the poisonous gases of the deku nuts saturated the room, Rensafi was at the queen's side. She was desperately trying to free her from the debris that had crumbled, desperately trying to clean away the queen's blood away from her lifeless body. She pulled her scarf from her neck and pulled it over the queen's face in an attempt to filter out the poisonous gas, refusing to believe that the queen was no longer alive.

It was Cari who had placed the spell Farore's Wind on Rensafi, forcing her outside the crumbling walls. Months later, when the gas had cleared enough, Rensafi ventured into the ballroom once more, finding the bodies of her sister and brother-in-law sprawled against the cold floor.

Rensafi is now Link's guardian, and teacher to the Sheikah children. She teaches them the Sheikah culture: the mastery of music, magic, self-defense, and the defense of others. A few years later, Rensafi found an emerging mark on Link's left hand: the mark of the royal family, the Triforce. From that point on, Rensafi had Link wear gloves that covered the mark, and focused on training Link to be a warrior better then herself.


	3. chapter 1

Hello! don't worry, i'm alive. (suprisingly enough) _ sorry i took so long to update, lol. i hope you enjoy this chapter, and critique is appreciated. thanks!

-chapter 1-

The bedroom was dark. At the far end of the room, a bed sat against the wall, and a small oil lamp stand next to it. A young man, Link of the Sheikah, lay in bed, awake and breathing softly. The door creaked open, and soft footsteps walked closer to Link. The owner of the footsteps raised a small knife over Link's body.

Link threw the blankets off at the other person, blinding them. He grabbed a long silver needle from under his pillow, and lunged at his attacker. The needle and knife sparked at contact, and the female aggressor jumped back. Link threw the needle at her; she used her knife to knock the needle away, and swept his feet from the floor. He hit the ground with a thud, and the next moment, he realized that cold metal was pressed against his throat.

"Good morning, Link. Looks like we'll need to work on agility today, huh?" Rensafi smiled as she got up.  
"G'morning, Aunt Safi," he grunted as he supported himself onto his elbows, and then to his feet. "Do we have to work on agility today?" he asked groggily as he pulled on a white long-sleeved shirt and covered his bed-head with a green windsock-like hat.  
"Don't worry, I'm not having you do timed runs today. We're doing something different," she replied as she walked into the living room that held a small oven in the corner. Link followed.  
"Really? What are we doing today, then? And is that salted beef I smell?"  
"No, not beef. You iknow/i how expensive it is. But we _do_ have pork, fish bones, lentils, and leek in the soup pot today."  
Link frowned a little. "Do you _need_ to put bones into every soup you make?" he mumbled as he plopped into one of the chairs that sat at the table. Safi placed a bowl of soup in front of him along with a small loaf of bread, and then proceeded to hit Link over the head with the soup ladle.  
"It's very healthy for you. Now eat, we still need to put meat on those skinny bones for the festival this month," she ordered.  
"Sir, yes sir," he muttered. Safi brought the soup ladle over his head once more.  
-

At the end of breakfast, Link was dubbed "moving target practice" of the day for all the children in Kakariko. His goal was to dodge as many flying projectiles as he could with his hands bound together.

"Are you sure about this?" Link asked warily as his aunt pulled the rope tightly around his wrists. Rensafi was usually considered the more "extreme" of the Sheikah tutors, since she always came up with new "innovative" ways to train. Safi laughed.

"The way I see it, this way the others will be able to refine their hand eye coordination while you practice speed. It's like two birds with one stone, isn't it?"

"For the love of Nayru," Link hissed as a rock hit his head. He looked pleadingly at Aunt Safi, who smiled back at him. A girl's doll came whirling at his face, which he dodged a moment too late. Safi laughed, and finally called everyone to stop. A chorus of "aww"s and "do we have to"s rose from the younger kids, but the older ones reluctantly shuffled their feet to their rows quietly. Link wrestled his way out of the ropes, and got into line.

Hours later, Link fell backwards into the grass, breathing heavily. All of the others had finished their day's worth of combat lessons, but yet again Aunt Safi was pushing Link to his limits. The festival which he was training for was more of a competition then a festival. It was a tournament to find out who Princess Zelda's guardian would be, and it seemed as if all the men in Hyrule were preparing for the event.

This year, the princess had finally assented to finding another guardian, or at least it was rumored. Other sources said she never agreed to it, but was forced to the task. Still others said that Zelda's previous guardian was killed in a freak baby dodongo accident earlier that year, which half of Hyrule knew was a lie. After all, Link's mother had died when he was a child.

Safi placed a water skin on Link's forehead. "That's enough for now. Rest and wash up, and in half an hour you have music lessons," she said. Link groaned. Safi laughed, and placed Link's flute on his chest. "Oh, stop complaining. It's only music. Afterwards, I'll train you to be a bodyguard as well as an assassin."

"Why would I need music lessons for the tournament?" he sighed.

"Because when you ibecome /i the princess' guardian, you'll need to keep her engaged. The palace can be rather boring," Aunt Safi explained. Link looked at her questionably.

"Why do you think I'll get in?" he asked. Aunt Safi leaned in.

"Because I like to think it's destiny that two possessors of triforce pieces will come together," she whispered. Link looked up in surprise.

"She has a triforce piece?" Link whispered back. She nodded, and pointed to the bottom left triangle of the triforce that was on Link's shoulder. iWisdom,/i he thought to himself. Aunt Safi smiled.

"Now come. I need to teach you the royal family's lullaby."


	4. Chapter 2

here's chapter 2, lol. sorry that it's a little slow at the moment, but it should get better... ^^; i hope you enjoy!

-chapter 2-

Finally it was the day of the festival. Burly Hylians were just some among the many contestants for tournament. Civilians and citizens from all over Hyrule came to watch, eat, and play carnival games before the tournament. The air was full of excitement and anticipation for the spars to begin, and the Composer brothers sang songs of bravery and played joyful music. Link looked around at the competitors. "I am now thoroughly nervous," he told his aunt as they walked past men who wore suits of armor twice as large as Link. Safi laughed as she registered Link for the tournament.

"It's called 'anticipation', Link. Your senses have been heightened so that you're much more aware of your surroundings then the average man. And you will harness that to help you fight more efficiently, alright? Good, now let's go to the practice rings and warm up quickly."

"I'm pretty sure it's nervousness, not 'anticipation.'"

"Oh, you'll be fine," Aunt Safi smiled.

A Hylian man much larger then Link himself threw an even larger man from the ring. Shouts rose from the competitors who watched. "Who's next?" the man roared, throwing his arms into the air. The spectators continued to yell in approval, but no one stepped up. "Anyone? Or am I to go unchallenged?" he demanded. Link felt a firm grip on his wrist, and found that Safi was dragging him up.

"What are you doing?" Link whispered fiercely.

"You need to warm up, right?"

"The man's twice as large as me!"

"You'll have plenty more opponents much larger than this man in the future."

"But!"

"Shh, don't worry, okay?" she whispered back. Safi's attention turned towards the man as they stepped onto the ring. The crowd had quieted down and had turned from howling in excitement to murmuring to each other. iWhat were Sheikah doing here?/i the crowd asked itself.

"My nephew shall be your next challenger," Aunt Safi proclaimed. Link looked at her uneasily. Her grip still had yet to loosen from his wrist. The man smirked.

"So, the Sheikah have come to honor us with their presence today, is that right?" the man sneered. Safi spread her arms and bowed at the waist, a traditional Sheikah sign of respect.

"We only come to test his strength and wits in battle. The question is, will you ibe/i a challenge?" Safi smiled politely. The man growled.

"Sheikah, especially their women, should know their place," he snarled.

"So do you accept?"

"All of your kind should be banished from Hyrule!" he spat contemptuously.

"iDo you accept the challenge?/i" Safi pressed. He paused. The atmosphere grew tenser.

"Only if your inephew /iagrees to the terms I set for the both of us," he finally answered, and the tension broke into shouts. The Hylians were always eager to see a Sheikah brought to his knees, even if there was a royal proclamation that the Sheikah were to be respected as the Hylians equals. The naturally secretive tribe was almost as mysterious as the three goddesses themselves, but a lot less respected. The Hylians never did like the mysterious or potentially dangerous; it put them on edge. For many, this fear had turned to hatred of the cryptic people, and what little respect there was of the Sheikah was out of fear.

Link felt a million hands at his back, pushing him into the ring. He stepped closer to the muscular man, who looked at Link with sadistic eyes. "We both will be limited to two weapons of our choice and one shield. Is that fine with the Sheikah boy?" he asked mockingly. Link panicked a little. The Sheikah usually had no shields and little armor. After all, shields were cumbersome, and it was harder to move agilely with armor on. He glanced at Aunt Safi, who gestured him to continue. He turned around, and took a deep breath.

"I have no need for a shield. My weapons will consist of a knife and... and deku nuts," Link said bravely. Everyone laughed.

"Nuts and a knife? What could iany/ione accomplish with that?" Link's opponent roared. "Fine! Then I will also fight with no shield! My weapons will be using my ax and spear. Now fight me!"

The two began circling each other. Link was planning on close combat, but it would be harder with the man's long range spear. Link would need to get it out of his hands first. "Is the Sheikah not brave enough to attack first? Or are you afraid to lose, and prolonging your defeat?" the man taunted. Link stayed silent. Boos came from the crowd, already bored of the lack of eventfulness.

He threw his ax at Link's feet. Link dodged, and stomped onto the ax, forcing it down into the surface of the ring. Link closed in, and his opponent was forced to leave the ax stuck in the floor of the ring. Now, with one weapon left, he was at a disadvantage. Once more the two circled each other. His opponent would be more cautious now; since he only had the spear he would need to make sure he hit Link. Link rushed forward, knife in hand. The man swung the spear at him, and Link was sent sliding to the edge of the ring. His opponent ran towards him, bellowing. Link closed his eyes and threw the deku nuts.

A brilliant light filled the air and blinded the man. He felt a jab at his chest, and fell back. Another jab to his stomach, and he hit the floor with a thud. A hand grabbed his neck, pushing the rest of him to the ground. A cool edge slid next to his throat. When he could see again, there was the young Sheikah man in front of him. The crowd had gone silent in disbelief. A Sheikah had taken out a man who was twice as large as him? A iSheikah/i? Link got up. "I am not 'afraid to lose', as you put it," Link said quietly, "Just wary enough to not act rashly and underestimate my opponent."

Trumpets in the distance sounded the start of the tournament. Cheers of excitement rose from the civilians outside, and the silent spell among the competitors was broken as everyone rushed for the opening ceremony. The man that Link fought gave Link one last look of contempt before rushing off.

When the king spoke, the crowd quieted. "My dear citizens," he called, "today is a great day! For today, the strong and the mighty of Hyrule have gathered to display their strength." The crowd cheered. The king spoke again. "Let the tournament begin!"

Link found out that this was a lot easier than he expected. For what seemed to be the first half of the tournament, he waited impatiently for his first matches, where he easily beat his opponents in a matter of minutes. Clearly there was no screening process beforehand. Soon, Link found himself finished with the semifinals, not as bored as before, but still not as nervous as he expected himself to be. He looked in the direction of the royal family.

The princess, who sat to the left of the king, looked rather bored. She wore a navy blue dress which complemented her long black hair. A silver tiara adorned her head, and white gloves protected her fidgeting hands. Her blue eyes panned the scene in front of her, looking for something to entertain herself with. The king watched the matches with his authoritative gaze and graying hair. He had a golden crown and a determined aura around him, and he wore his red royal robes powerfully. Right of the king sat a man in his late twenties. He wore power like a cloak, and his skin, dark from the desert, contrasted against his orange hair. An orange jewel lay set in his forehead, and on his strong build he wore clothes that were clearly not Hylian.

Link tilted his head to the side, a habit he had whenever he was confused or curious. Who was this foreign man? Someone who held high status wherever he came from, that was certain. But...

He was driven out of his thoughts at the sound of his name. Link jumped up and pulled himself into the roped off area that represented the boundaries of the ring. A knight stepped in from the other side. Link sighed, and the final match began.


End file.
